//------------------------------//
// EXTRA: Years Later 
// Story: Number One 
// by Whirring Gears 
//------------------------------//


This is an extra scene, taking place after the events of Number One.

This scene has no ties or relevance to the rest of the story.

~~~~~



"WAAAAAAAHH!"

You blink your eyes open, the loud scream disrupting your slumber for the fifth time this week. And it is only Wednesday. You turn your head to look at the other side of the bed you sleep in. Empty. As always. You don't know why you look over there anymore.

Your eyes glance over at the clock. "Two in the morning. Always has to be so freaking early with that little brat..." You push yourself upright against the mattress and fumble to the floor as another screaming sob travels down the hall into your bedroom. "Why does he do this?" you ask as you walk out the door. "Is he really stupid enough not to learn when I tell him the same thing over and over?"

Of course you don't really mean that. It just rubs you the wrong way whenever he would cry, wake you up, and then say the exact same thing almost every night. Still, you can't help but love him with all your heart. Every time you hear him sniffle late at night, you remember the times he smiles. Every sob is met with a memorable laugh. It's what made you get up and walk out every single time.

It doesn't make it any easier, however.

You walk into the child's dark room, his crying now a near ear-splitting volume. Going over to the child's crib, you sit on your haunches, reach down, and pick him up with your forelegs. He was a pegasus, orange with a multi-colored mane. Starting from red, going to a light orange, and then yellow down the back and tail.

"Shhhh... I'm here. Little Heat, I'm here," you say, rocking him gently back and forth. He looks up at you with those soft, tear stained magenta eyes. Closing them again, he resumes crying to which you resume your comforting shushing.

"I... I w-want Mommy!" he cries.

It's your turn to close your eyes. "Mommy's not here..." you say, giving him a little bounce in your forelegs. "Would you like a story?" you ask, reaching for the Daring Do book on the dresser next to his crib.

He doesn't respond. He just keeps crying.

"Would you like your bottle?" you ask, going through the list of what he could need. "Are you too hot? Too cold?"

It was the same every night. He'd cry for his mommy, something kids were known to do. The problem is, he always cries for his mommy, and his mommy is never here. Every time he woke in the night it's the same. He'd cry and cry for his mommy until he cries himself to sleep.

You wish you could be his mommy. Or bring his mommy here. But you couldn't, and that is what truly made this process hurt the way it did. It has nothing to do with interrupted sleep or the loud noises. It was the fact that you couldn't do anything. You could only hold him until he tires himself out.

"I-I want Mommy!" he cries again.

You hold him close, trying to stifle a sniffle. "I want Mommy, too..."

You feel something slip over your shoulders. You open your eyes to see a pair of light blue hooves draped over you. You look up, turning your head and see another pair of magenta eyes staring at you along with a small smile. A colorful mane drapes over her shoulders along with a Wonderbolts uniform.

"Mommy's here."

Little Heat stops crying instantly, reaching out for his mother. She drops the dark blue outfit on the ground before taking the child from your arms. She hugs him tightly as the child smiles, tiny wings buzzing happily, and tries to wrap his little forelegs around to hug her back.

"Dash..." you say, almost unable to believe what you are seeing. "I... I thought you still had another month on your tour."

"The next show is in Cloudsdale," she explains. "It's only a couple hours out the way, and... I couldn't wait. I just couldn't wait."

You slide over, putting a hoof around her shoulders as she nuzzles the little pegasus in her forelegs. Leaning your head down, you rest it against her neck.

You just can't explain how happy you are at the moment. You give a slow nuzzle every now and again as she holds the child she dearly missed.

"Does... does he cry for me a lot?" she asks.

Suddenly, doubt passes where once was relief. You don't know how to answer. You don't know if you should answer. You simply sit there in silence. A few moments pass before you hear Dash's voice again.

"Oh, dear Celestia..." she mumbles.

"Dash," you say, hugging her closely.

"I... I..." she begins, shakily.

"Shhhh..." you quietly say, rubbing her shoulder and gently rocking her back and forth. You are still in full child-comfort mode, so these are the only tricks you could think of at the moment. The only difference is it seems to be working with the blue full-grown mare. More time passes in silence as the family slowly rocks back and forth with the ticking of the clock against the opposite wall.

Eventually, you hear a quiet, steady stream of breathing. You look down to Little Heat who is now snoring peacefully in the embrace of his mother. You glance over at Dash who was now looking down at her foal. Glancing up at the clock, it was now quarter past three. It was the fastest Little Heat has ever gone back to sleep.

"Go back to bed," Dash whispers. "I want to stay here a while longer."

You sit for a moment before giving her cheek a small peck. Slowly dropping your hoof from her shoulder, rubbing it down her back, you turn away and leave the room, down the hall, and back into your bedroom. The lights still out, you walk the familiar path to your side of the bed. Laying down in the sheets, now cold from your absence, you lay your head against the soft pillow, your body instantly relaxing and drifting into the sleep you were in before the interruption.

A while later, you hear a small thump from the base of the bed and some light cursing, waking you again. You have to suppress a small chuckle at the pegasus now sliding into bed with you. She wraps her forelegs around your shoulders and snuggles up close, the warmth of her fur spreading against you.

"Did I wake you?" she asks.

"I'm glad you did," you say, wrapping your hooves around her as well.

You lay in each other's warmth. You try to fight off the oncoming sleep to stay in the moment; the embrace which you had gone so long without and sorely missed. Suddenly, you hear a little sniffle from Dash, who was rubbing her muzzle against your chest.

"I... I don't know if I can keep doing this," she says.

"What do you mean?" you ask.

"Just... the Wonderbolts. I think I should quit."

You almost can't believe what you are hearing. "But this is your dream."

"I know... but now there's you guys, and- OH NO, I didn't mean that!" she exclaims, hushing herself before she gets too loud.

"I understand, Dash. That's not what you mean," you say, giving her a little pat on the back.

"Thanks..." she says, calming back down. "But it's just... Little Heat needs me."

You aren't quite sure how to answer.

"A kid needs his mom, right?" she asks.

"You..." you begin, not quite knowing where you are going with it. "You... do a lot for Little Heat."

"How so?" she mumbles more than anything, as if not believing you.

"Well, with the Wonderbolts..." you start, rubbing a hoof up and down her back. "We already discussed this," you say, giving up trying to form a coherent thought at this hour.

"Yeah, but... what kind of mom am I being away from home for so long?"

"You were going to be the cool mom, remember?" you say with a little chuckle. "Little Heat gets to say his mom's in the Wonderbolts and brag and brag to all his friends about his super cool mom, and-"

"I don't want to be the cool mom!" Dash cries out. "I want to be the good mom!"

You are a little taken back by this. "But... you are a good mom, Dash."

"How!?" she exclaims.

"Well..." you start again, looking for any sort of point to grab onto. "All the money you bring in. You provide for us."

You listen for any sort of argument against this. When you hear none, you assume you're going down the right path.

"Because of you, we have this house big enough for Little Heat to grow up in. We have food, shelter, and when the time comes, he won't be going to some dead-end school."

You feel Dash snuggle up closer to you.

"He has his favorite breakfast cereal. He has all of the latest toys. The full collection of Daring Do books on his shelves. He wouldn't have that living off my meager repaircolt profits."

"Actually, I had the books before I became a Wonderbolt..." There is a small giggle before you hear another sniffle from Dash. "But... he cries for me. I stay up late worrying so much and he... he actually cries for me when I can't be here and..."

"And he has me," you finish plainly. "I can take care of him, and he gets to see you when you're off tour, and don't worry, Dash..." You nuzzle the top of her head. "I'll let you wake up in the middle of the night every time he cries when you're here."

This actually gets another little giggle from her.

"But for now... you have to be strong. For Little Heat."

All you hear is a long sigh. Eventually, you feel her pull herself up, her lips connecting against yours. You push back against her soft lips as you smell a bit of something salty on her face. She was crying, but she seems past it now. After a while, she pulls away.

"Thanks..." she says, adjusting herself in a more comfortable sleeping position. "Hey... I'm afraid I'll have to leave really early to make it back for morning drills. I'll probably be gone before you wake up."

"I understand," you say. You feel another soft kiss briefly against your lips.

"I love you," she says.

"I love you, too," you say, closing your eyes.

You hold onto each other again, the darkness of the night eventually overtaking the both of you. Sleep dividing you again, but there would only be so long before you got to be in her loving embrace again. Until then, you would care for the greatest gift she's given you, who you know will also be eager for her return.